Pelosi has cliff advice for Boehner

12/12/12 2:04 PM EST

House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi said Speaker John Boehner should learn from her speakership as he faces a choice on how to handle expiring tax rates.

When Pelosi (D-Calif.) was speaker, she had to pass a bill to fund the war in Iraq, even though much of the left was adamantly opposed to it and Democrats were swept into office on a wave of opposition to the effort. Pelosi reminded reporters Wednesday that she split off funding of the war from a vote expressing opposition to the war.

“You can bring a bill to the floor, but the Republicans don’t have to vote for it, just 25 of them,” Pelosi said, suggesting a similar course of action for Boehner. “And then they can bring with that a bill to the floor that does [Hurricane Sandy relief] and all the other domestic issues that will expire by the end of the year. I had to do it as speaker. Do you know what it was like for me to bring a bill to the floor to fund the war in Iraq, predicated on a misrepresentation to the American people?”

Pelosi continued, “It’s tough. But you have to do it. So is the point that you don’t want to put your members on the spot. Figure it out, we did. Figure it out. And then go forward and continue to debate the issue….You ask me about what I do? That’s what I did. That’s what I did. It was very unpopular, and I have to tell you, I’m not sure I ever recovered among some on the left for that.”